When I got out of college, I didn’t really care what went on in Washington and the government. It just sort of happened behind the scenes of my life. But now I care because I see how policies and government decisions can have an impact – good or bad- on my bank account and yet, it’s so hard to decipher what is good and not good watching the news and getting the highlights. So, I went straight to Mark Hamrick, Bankrate's senior economic analyst, to ask him how the political environment will impact you and me and what we need to know to be prepared. What You'll Learn Why what happens in Washington with the government matters when it comes to our finances What are some of the political and economic threats against your money for the new year Is the government really doing anything to help student loan debt What economic indicators you should pay attention to How the rising interest rates impact your goals and your finances How can you protect your finances against whichever party is in office Links Bankrate Economic Indicators Mark's Twitter SUBSCRIBE & SHARE Please don't be shy - share the episodes you love with your friends. Want to be the first to know when new episodes are released? Click here to subscribe in iTunes for Free! Ask Shannah Have an Ask Shannah question, submit it here Get Social Shannah on Twitter Shannah on Instagram   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices